Fort Casey State Park & the Keystone Ferry to Port Townsend

You are looking west, across Admiralty Inlet at the Olympic Mountains, from Fort Casey State Park.

Way back in the 1890s Admiralty Inlet was determined to be a vulnerable point on Puget Sound, strategically speaking. To protect Puget Sound from an invasion from the sea, three forts were built to create a "Triangle of Fire" with really big guns that would put a stop to any fleet up to no good.

The three forts were Fort Casey, on the Whidbey Island side of Admiralty Inlet, Fort Worden on the Port Townsend/Olympic Peninsula side of Admiralty Inlet and Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island.

By the time the three forts were built they were already obsolete due to airplanes becoming part of the military arsenal.

There are also abandoned gun emplacements and pillboxes at Fort Ebey State Park. Fort Ebey was a World War II coastal defense fort.

If I remember right the last time I was at Fort Casey was when my nephew Joey and I rode our bikes on to the Keystone/Port Townsend Ferry. I remember it was a real rough rock and roll passing on the way back to Whidbey Island. When the tides get a bit on the extreme side it can create rough seas in Admiralty Inlet. So much so, that sometimes the ferry can not sail. I have crossed twice in rough seas. It's an incredible experience. Better than any carnival ride I've ever been on.

The Keystone/Port Townsend Ferry is my favorite of the Washington Ferry routes.

You can explore all over Fort Casey and Fort Worden. Fort Casey is the bigger of the two. There is a maze of underground passages, above ground catwalks, ladders, stairways, underground rooms, gun emplacements, ammunition depots and a lighthouse to explore.

A flash light is a necessary accessory when exploring Fort Casey.

Below is a really good YouTube video, waiting to get on the Keystone Ferry to cross to Port Townsend.